Obama spoke to Catholic leaders today

By Donovan Slack

02/10/12 01:05 PM EST

President Barack Obama spoke with Archbishop Timothy Dolan of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops and Sister Carol Keehan of the US Catholic Health Association before announcing his "accommodation" on contraception requirements in the health care law.

A White House official confirmed the discussions took place this morning, but it's unclear what transpired during the conversations.

Keehan released a statement of support for the administration's plan, but Dolan did not.

As POLITICO's Glenn Thrush and Carrie Budoff Brown reported this morning, Dolan was a leading opponent of the president's earlier plan to require employers to buy insurance that covers birth control.

Budoff Brown and Jennifer Epstein have the story on the president's new accommodation for religious employers, which will require the insurance companies to pay for the benefit, rather than the employers.